'The Showtune Mosh Pit' for October 2nd, 2013

THE LATEST IN UNAUTHORIZED GOSSIP AND BUZZ

FROM THE HEART OF CHICAGO'S SHOWTUNE VIDEO BARS,

AND MUSICAL THEATER NEWS FROM CHICAGO TO BROADWAY

by Paul W. Thompson

Overheard last weekend under the showtune

video screens at Sidetrack and The Call:

And so, we must say goodbye to T-BOM. "The Book Of Mormon" ends its ten-month run at the fabled Bank Of America Theatre on Monroe Street this Sunday, October 6, 2013. Nearly everyone I know who has seen it feels it is one of the funniest and most insightful musicals they have ever seen, and fully deserving of its accolades, including the 2011 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Chicago's production of the "South Park"-"Avenue Q" mashup also gets some credit internationally for showing that the lead role of Elder Cunningham doesn't have to be played by an actor of the same physical type as role originator Josh Gad. And we're promised a return of the production during the 2014-15 season, just as "Wicked," "Jersey Boys" and "Rock Of Ages" have returned multiple times after a long Chicago run. About the only show that didn't come back after a big push here is 2009 Tony winner "Billy Elliot," whose run here was truncated. Can't win 'em all, I guess.

http://www.broadwayinchicago.com/bookofmormon12

Given how great our Super September was this year, I regret to inform you that the very popular closing date of October 6 will hit a LOT of productions in addition to T-BOM. Broadway In Chicago's tour of "Evita" will close and move on this Sunday, after a three week shakedown here. Other shows closing on October 6 include the phonemenally well-reviewed local debut of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Next To Normal" at the Drury Lane Theatre and the well-regarded local debut of the Tony Award-winning "In The Heights" at the Paramount Theatre. Also closing are two productions housed at Stage 773 in Lakeview, Porchlight Music Theatre's Double Trouble and NightBlue Performing Arts Company's "Spamalot." I hope you have your tickets by now! And local actors and artistic personnel, get ready for the big fruitbasket turnover of who works where!

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/nowplayingrs.php

But never fear. New productions crop up al the time. And we are about to have not one but two productions of a perennially popular title from the English light comic opera end of the repertoire. "The Mikado" will play in what will probably be a fairly traditional production of the Gilbert and Sullivan mainstage mainstay from October 11-20, 2013, at Chute Auditorium on Oakton Street in Evanston, courtesy of The Savoyaires and their 49th annual production. Chute has been their home since 1994. Elizabeth Margolius directs, with musical direction by Timothy Semanik.

http://www.savoyaires.org/

And The Hypocrites, one of Chicago's favorite professional actor ensembles, will bring their production of "The Mikado," first seen last year at their home, the Chopin Theatre, to the Steppenwolf Garage, playing November 14-December 29 in Lincoln Park. Sean Graney adapted and directs the remount. Have you seen the production photos? Check them out!

/chicago/article/Photo-Flash-The-Hypocrites-to-Remount-THE-MIKADO

While theater companies and opera companies can both do Sir Arthur Sullivan, they can also both do George Gershwin. And for a company that is probably both, like Light Opera Works, developing an original Gershwin revue sounds like a natural! Playing October 4-13 in Evanston's Nichols Concert Hall will be "Gershwin's Greatest Hits," directed by actor and company favorite George Andrew Wolff, with musical direction by Valerie Maze. A cast of five will put the audiences through their paces with a concert performance of songs including "Summertime," "I Got Rhythm," "S' Wonderful" and more. Sophie Grimm, Sarah Lynn Kelly, David Schlumpf, Colette Todd and Martin L. Woods do the honors.

Light-Opera-Works-to-Present-GERSHWINS-GREATEST-HITS

Speaking of "Evita"'s three-week run, Broadway In Chicago is also installing the 2012 Tony Award winner for Best Musical and the 2013 Grammy Award winner for Best Musical Theater Album, "Once," into Chicago for a three-week run, October 9-27 at the Ford Oriental Theatre. That starts next week! Whether you are a fan of the Oscar-winning song "Falling Slowly," or merely a fan of actually falling slowly, you will probably enjoy this story of two people exploring their current needs and their future possibilities. It's all very Dublin, and all about Irish folk-rock, played on stage while the native Guy (Stuart Ward) and the immigrant Girl (Dani De Waal) make halting steps toward one another. The music and lyrics are by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, with book by screenwriter Enda Walsh. And it's probably the most anticipated fall offering of the many on the BIC docket.

http://www.theatreinchicago.com/once/6167/

Also beginning performances October 9 is the Chicago Children's Theatre production of Broadway's "A Year With Frog And Toad." And there's been a cast change. Joining Mark David Kaplan (Toad) as co-star in the role of Frog will be Karl Hamilton, as James Earl Jones II had to depart in order to join the national tour of the Gershwin's "Porgy And Bess" (can't fault a guy for that!). The five-person "Frog And Toad" company, under Henry Godinez's direction, will play October 9-November 24 at the Ruth Page Center For The Arts in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Supporting players are Christine Bunuan (Mouse/Young Frog), Shawn Pfautsch (Snail) and Brittani Arlandis Green (Turtle/Mother Frog).

Karl-Hamilton-Joins-Chicago-Childrens-Theatres-A-YEAR-WITH-FROG-AND-TOAD

For a different kind of children's theater, the scary, satirical, "Bad Seed," Baby June, "All About Eve" kind, check out "Ruthless!," the musical now running at the Big Noise Theatre Company in Des Plaines through October 13. Kyle Dougan directs, with choreography by Daniel Spagnuolo and musical direction by Alex Newkirk. Abby Merrill stars as eight-year-old Tina Denmark, with Tommy Bullington as Sylvia St. Croix. Yes, you read that correctly.

http://www.bignoise.org/

Don't forget that Saturday night, October 12, is "An Evening With Audra McDonald" at Orchestra Hall. If you have never seen this five-time Tony winner and television star live, or even if you have, you should probably go. That means that everyone should go....

http://cso.org/TicketsAndEvents/EventDetails.aspx?eid=6068

And if your Facebook functions anywhere near like mine, you have seen about a million ads for Linda Eder's concert at the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts in north suburban Skokie. This "Star Search" star, muse for the creation of the musicals "Jekyll And Hyde" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and the chief interpreter of the music of her former husband, Frank Wildhorn, may have fewer Tony Awards than Audra McDonald (well, she wasn't nominated) but is nevertheless an important figure in the history of singing for the Broadway musical stage. Eder sings in Skokie at 8:00 pm on November 9th. If you like her, you love her.

http://www.northshorecenter.org/events/linda-eder/

And so September ends. And October is going, or at least is underway. I'm sure I'll see you out and about, and I know I'll see you under the video screens.....-PWT

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